Trump’s Golan Heights decision deepens rift with Turkey

Source:al Monitor Date:27Mar2019

Former diplomat Aydin Selcen, meanwhile, links Erdogan’s stance to the current situation. “After the massacre in New Zealand, the OIC met in Istanbul in response to Turkey’s call. Erdogan couldn’t remain mum,” Selcen told Al-Monitor. “Trump — with his Golan tweet — gave support to Netanyahu on the eve of the Israeli elections. We have elections coming up in Turkey. Erdogan’s [antagonistic] relations with Netanyahu are obvious. That’s why I wasn’t surprised by Erdogan’s reaction.”

Nevertheless, Selcen does not think the Golan Heights conflict will have the same prominence as the other important disagreements between Ankara and Washington. “Turkish-US ties are in a state of a car crash because of the S-400s/F-35 equation, moving from slow motion to real time. The Golan Heights are neither more nor less detail in this respect,” Selcen added.